A new course and unusual heat made the 2018 Run Rabbit Run 100-mile ultramarathon one of the toughest editions of the endurance race yet. The largest prize purse in trail running helped race winner Jason Schlarb power through to the finish.

Schlarb, a 40-year-old who lives in Durango, claimed his third win of the 100-mile race in Steamboat Springs in the early hours of Sunday morning. He conquered the course in 18 hours, 48 minutes, 8 seconds. He won the 2015 Run Rabbit Run in 18:05:18 and the 2013 race in a course-record 17:15:20.

“There were a few things different this year,” Schlarb said in a phone interview with The Durango Herald. “The two kind of big ones were that the course was different and it was 86 degrees, so it was really hot. Typically in the middle of September in Steamboat, it’s in the 60s.”

The course mostly was rid of U.S. Forest Service roads this year. With some new trails in Steamboat Springs, the race utilized more singletrack. Roughly eight miles of the course were paved, with 86 miles of trail and the rest service roads. Across 101.7 miles, there was 20,391 feet of vertical gain and descent.

“We descended and ascended on trails instead of that road,” Schlarb said. “While the vertical looks the same, it’s far more difficult and takes longer switchbacking back and forth. The mountain bike trails are new, and so they are low grade. It sounds nice, but it actually takes a lot longer.”

Schlarb, the 2016 Hardrock Hundred Endurance Run co-champion alongside Kilian Jornet, picked up a prize check of $13,500 for his win. He earned $12,500 for being the first to the finish line, and he added an extra $1,000 for being the first “masters” category finisher for a runner 40 or older.

“I happened to turn 40 this year, so that was a nice bonus,” Schlarb said. “With that much money on the line, it was a big deal, and we had four of the top-eight runners from this year’s Western States, the premiere ultramaraton in the U.S., so everyone was going fast and hard.

“This is the highest payout for any trail race in the world. Our sport is a bit funky and niche. It’s obviously not a huge sport, and money in trail running is kind of new. There are a few series where there are a few thousand bucks, but there’s nothing like Run Rabbit Run, where second place won ($7,500), third place was $5,000 and fourth place was even $4,000. Overall, there was $65,000 in payout for the top athletes.”

Schlarb, who moved to Durango in 2014 from Missoula, Montana, finished well ahead of second-place runner Mark Hammond of Utah. Hammond finished in 19:33:20. Utah’s Jeff Browning, the 2018 Hardrock 100 winner, was third in 19:51:44.

Schlarb, who served 10 years as an officer in the Air Force, suffered early in the race with the extreme heat. The former Montana State University cross-country and track athlete was pushed by some inspiration from his girlfriend, Meredith Edwards, who also now lives in Durango.

Edwards, also a professional runner, finished the race 19th overall and was fifth in the women’s field in 25:46:15. She fought through illness, headlamp malfunctions and various ailments to continue her push in the race.

“It’s unique. There aren’t too many professional athletes doing the same race at the same time,” Schlarb said. “We’ve had the same schedule in Switzerland in the Alps for two races this summer and in China the last few races, so we’ve gotten to do a lot of races together. It is another motivator to have somebody else out there that’s your partner, not just a friend. She told me after the race, ‘I couldn’t quit because I knew you wouldn’t.’”

Edwards, from Wilson, Wyoming, rallied late in the race and began picking off runners in front of her. Michele Yates of Conifer won the women’s race in 22:33:54, and Emma Roca of Spain was second in 23:23:55.

“This race, there were two out-and-backs where I actually got to see her,” Schlarb said of Edwards. “Coming up Fish Creek Falls, she was coming down and she was actively puking. That’s not what you want to see. I got some updates from aid stations that she was doing good, but then I saw her puking and tried to give her my water. She told me to take off and that I couldn’t sit there because I needed to do well. That’s kind of gut- and heart-wrenching, but I left her at that point and assumed she would be dropping out.

“Lo and behold, she didn’t. I saw her a second time later in the race, and I wanted to hug her and tell her how proud I was that she was continuing, but she was so in the moment catching up after being between 20th and 30th most of the race. She wasn’t interested in a hug; she had a huge head of steam and was catching people.”

After Schlarb’s 2016 Hardrock win, he had a tough 2017. He was the first runner to drop out of the 2017 Hardrock because of a stomach illness, and he finished 48th overall at the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) in France, regarded as the Super Bowl of mountain running. This year, he didn’t race in either the Hardrock or UTMB. He joined a new coach, David Roche, and made Run Rabbit Run his focus.

“David took me under his wing and gradually got me to this point with Run Rabbit Run being my focus the entire year. To win that thing after kind of a difficult start and fading a bit, it was awesome,” Schlarb said. “The coach was my biggest change, along with Meredith moving out here. It’s huge to have that.”

While the payout now at Run Rabbit Run will continue to entice some of the biggest names in ultrarunning, Schlarb said he’s not sure he will be back to chase a fourth title in Steamboat Springs next year. He has a few other targets for 2019.

“I’ve got unfinished business with UTMB now,” said Schlarb, who was fourth overall and the first American at the 2014 UTMB. “I need to get over there and get on that top-five podium. That’s almost more important for me. Luckily, I have brands like Altra, Ultimate Direction and Spring energy paying me to be able to do this full time, so I don’t have to pick money races to keep doing what I’m doing.

“If something funky happens, I’ll do Run Rabbit Run. But right now, the target is the lottery for Hardrock and UTMB. If Hardrock doesn’t work out, maybe I’ll do Western States.”

Up next for Schlarb is the Oman by UTMB race, which is an 85-mile race with more than 25,000 feet of elevation gain in the Middle East. Of the 300 racers in Oman, Schlarb will compete with Arizona’s Jim Walmsley, who won the 2018 Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run, the Lake Sonoma 50-miler and was fifth at the 2017 UTMB.

Schlarb and Edwards also will try to qualify for the U.S. national team for the ski-mountaineering world championships this winter. Schlarb will rely on a fellow Durangoan and U.S. ski-mo athlete to reach that goal.

“I’ll have to get Scott Simmons out there to get me in shape,” Schlarb said.

jlivingston@durangoherald.com